Liquid crystalline polyesters can be synthesized by step-growth polymerization techniques. Two basic methods are generally used. The first involves growing the polymer from solution involving the reaction of a diol with a diacid chloride. The problem of polymer solubility, however, can be a limiting factor in the preparation of high molecular weight polymers, especially in the case of aromatic polyesters. The second method avoids such problems by carrying out the reaction in the absence of solvent. Such bulk (or melt) polymerization techniques (see V. V. Korshak et al., "Experimental Methods of Bulk Polymerization", Comprehensive Polymer Science, Vol. 5, G. Allen, ed., Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1989), usually involve either the reaction of dicarboxylic acids (or their alkyl esters) with diols or the reaction of diacetates with dicarboxylic acids, in the presence or absence of a catalyst. The bulk method works best when the reacting functionalities are directly attached to the aromatic rings.